Best bike racks for cars: Transport your bike by car safely and securely

Choosing from the best bike racks can be a daunting task, and your decision will depend on a number of factors: your car type, the type and quantity of bikes you want to carry, and of course, your budget.

Whether you’re transporting your bike to a local race, the bike park or on a cycling road trip, being able to carry your bike outside the car not only leaves space for passengers but also means you don’t have to put a dirty bike back inside your car after a ride. 

With your holidays and vacation days likely being spent closer to home for the foreseeable, the ability to transport bikes by car is more crucial than ever, and if there's one thing that'll kill the mood of any drive, it's spending the entire journey being poked in the back of the head by a fork leg or dirty chainring. 

The only thing worse than that is keeping a frantic eye on your bike because you don't trust the flimsy rack you're currently using.

Thankfully, the team here at Cyclingnews has gathered together a list of the best bike racks, all of which are sturdy, strong and reliable, so you can put your trust in them to safely transport your precious cargo.

There's a wide variety of car bike racks out there, some being semi-permanent installations such as roof- and hitch racks, while others like trunk/boot racks and tailgate pads can be easily removed and stored when not in use. 

Many riders will spend big money to get the best road bikes and components, and then risk damaging them by using a cheap bike rack that fails to secure them properly or clamps the carbon frame badly. Our roundup below will go some way to preventing that from happening.

Jump to: How to choose the best bike rack for you

Or, skip to your chosen bike rack type:

• Best hitch bike racks
• Best roof bike racks
• Best trunk bike racks

Best hitch bike racks 

If your car has a tow ball/hitch, and you want to carry your bike at the rear, the best bike rack for you is likely to be of the tow- or hitch-mounted variety.

Tow ball- or hitch-mounted car bike racks take advantage of the 1 1/4in or 2in receiver tube or tow ball on the back of your car, and are the easiest to load of the bunch. Some hitch-mount racks will fold up and out of the way when not in use, while many feature locks, not only for your bikes but also for securing the rack to the vehicle. They often fold for storage and feature a tilt or swing release so you can get into the back of your car without having to remove the bikes. 

Unfortunately, hitch and tow ball car bike racks start out at the higher end of the price spectrum, and as you add in features like built-in locks, lightweight materials, integrated repair stands, and tail lights, the price continues to climb. Keep in mind that hitch racks also extend the length of your car considerably, so when you stop for a post-ride burrito, take extra care while backing up. 

Before you buy a hitch rack, make sure to double-check your local laws and regulations. In Australia for example, if the rack obscures your license plate, you’ll need an official accessory plate from the RTA, and your rack will also need to illuminate the plate so it can be seen from at least 20m away in poor light conditions.

In the eyes of the law, the classic photocopy or piece of cardboard with your plate number scribbled in sharpie will earn you a hefty fine and a stern talking-to. That’s not all; you may also cop a fine for driving around with an empty hitch rack on the back of your car — the moral of the story is to do your due diligence before you buy a hitch or tow ball rack so you don't have a run-in with the 5-0.

Positives

• The best hitch racks are easy to fit and remove from your car
• Some are foldable when not in use
• Their position means you needn't lift bikes far from the ground
• Some tilt away from the car, allowing access to the boot/trunk
• They are typically compatible with all styles of bike, without axle compatibility concerns

Negatives

• Vulnerable to a crash
• Requires your car to have a tow ball/hitch
• They can obscure your vehicle registration plate and lights, which if left unresolved, can be illegal

The Thule T2 Pr XT is so well designed a few other brands have borrowed - read copied - some of its design features like the remote tilt release handle and tool-free mounting system. 

It comes stock with trays for two bikes, however, it can be extended with another two trays. Bikes are secured with an extendable half-wheel hook design and a simple ratchet strap at the rear; it will work with just about any wheel size and tyres up to 5in in width. 

For the latest version, Thule has increased the spacing of the wheel trays and increased lateral adjustment to help fit a wider variety of bikes.

Kuat makes some of the best-looking car bike racks on the market. It uses a half-wheel loop design similar to the Thule Pro XT as well as a ratchet strap meaning it can accommodate a range of wheel sizes and tyres of up to 4.8in in width. The wheel cradles are adjustable to avoid bikes bumping into each other on the rack and there are removable cable locks. 

The installation process is tool-free and an expanding adaptor takes up space in your car's hitch receiver to eliminate wobbles. The tilt switch can be engaged hands-free and there is even a brilliant bike repair stand built-in for adjustments and repairs.

• Best bike repair stand: Workstands for the home mechanic

Yakima’s FolkClick 2 car bike rack utilises the towbar instead of the hitch receiver and has a surprisingly high weight limit — you can easily carry two e-bikes and still have weight left over. Not only is the rack quick and easy the install but it weighs just 14kg. The big selling point here, however, is its ability to quickly fold away, not to mention the inclusion of a ramp to help you get your bike in place come loading time.

Its design features two wheel-trays as well as arms and clamps to grab onto your bike's frame. A foot pedal unclips the base of the rack to tilt it out of the way so you can quickly get into your trunk. The setup also includes a locking system for both the bikes and rack itself.

Best roof bike racks

Most roof racks attach to crossbars, which can range from the square factory rails that some cars come with, to sleek aerodynamic bars from aftermarket brands; other racks use suction cups to vacuum seal a rack to your roof.

Bikes are then secured to the roof using the frame, front wheel or front axle. Each of these has advantages and disadvantages; however, the key thing to consider is will you be able to lift your bike onto the roof in the first place. If you’re driving a tall SUV, consider a hitch or towbar car bike rack, as getting heavy bikes onto the roof can be precarious. Wheel-off racks will lighten the load a bit and take away some of the height you’d otherwise have to conquer, however, if you will be carrying bikes that have various axles standards and hub spacing they can be fiddly. There are quite a few roof racks that grab onto the downtube; however, we would tend to steer away from this style as they can scratch your paintwork and, in the worst case, crush the frame. 

Wheel-on roof-mounted car bike racks are great if you’re transporting bikes with various hub and axle standards. They don't touch the frame but they are a bit less stable, more expensive and require you to lift the bike higher. 

Bikes on the roof are generally safer from other drivers should you get into a fender bender, just don’t forget they are up there when you drive into a multi-storey car park, or get home and drive into your garage. 

Positives

• Easy access to car boot/trunk
• Widely compatible with car types
• Unrestricted view through rear window
• The best roof bike racks offer can cater for the most bikes

Negatives

• The high position makes it harder to load bikes
• You may need to buy roof bars if you don't already have them
• Be careful driving into height-restricted multi-storey car parks

The SeaSucker Talon doesn't look much like a roof rack at first, but this innovative design can carry a single bike with the front wheel removed. Doing away with nuts and bolts, it uses vacuum suction cups to affix your bike to the roof of your car.

Don't worry, it's perfectly safe and very effective, and the Talon comes with a pump included that you can use to remove air from the cups so you know it's firmly stuck into place. According to the brand, each cup has a pull rating of 95kg, so that sucker's not going anywhere.

Meanwhile, the rack itself weighs a mere 2.12kg in total and is so small it can be stored away easily when not in use.

The Yakima HighRoad is currently on the roof of this writer's car and is one of our favourite car bike racks because it doesn’t touch the frame at any point and is compatible with 26- to 29-inch wheels regardless of axle standard. It’s one of the easiest and intuitive roof racks to use, provided your car isn’t too tall.

There is no faffing with adaptors and you don’t even need to adjust the front wheel loop to suit different wheel sizes. The rack holds bikes securely even if your trip to the trailhead involves some Overlanding and it's not an eyesore either come to think of it

The HighRoad is nearly perfect but could do with a set of locking barrels and be more accommodating when it comes to mudguards.

Hailing from Colorado, the RockyMounts TomaHawk is a roof-mounted tray that utilises a front-wheel hook to secure the bike. A wheel wicket helps balance the bike once it's in the tray while dual ratchet straps and a hook lock everything down.

The rack itself will work with any crossbar and can carry bikes from the best folding bikes up to a 29er fat bike with 5in wide rubber. 

The RockyMounts TomaHawk and all of its parts are backed by a lifetime warranty.

Axle-mounted car bike racks make attaching bikes on the roof a bit easier because you don’t have to lift the bike quite as high, and without the front wheel they are a bit lighter too. The trouble is, various axle- and hub-spacing standards can mean lots of adaptors to change...or lose. 

The ThruRide uses an adjustable clamp that can hold an axle regardless of length and diameter and doesn't need any adaptors. It takes a bit of practice to get the process down but once you do, it's a breeze and mounting the rack itself to the car is a tool-free affair. 

The rack itself is aerodynamic and low profile too; once it's on your car you're likely to forget it's there, which means you don't really need to take it off during the day. 

Best trunk bike racks 

Trunk and boot racks attach to the back of your car using straps, with feet stabilising the whole thing against the car. They are the lightest and least expensive options and also the least secure.

With trunk/boot racks, installing the rack correctly is paramount as if you don’t have something in the right place or pulled tautly, it can damage your paintwork. These work best with bikes that have more traditional double triangle construction and can be an awkward fit for sloping top-tube-style full-suspension mountain bikes. 

Positives

• Usually the simplest and cheapest option
• Simple ratchet-strap fitting so no specific fixings are needed
• Position means it's relatively easy to fit and remove bikes

Negatives

• Restricted view through the rear window
• Restricted access to trunk/boot
• Can be hard to fit bikes without a horizontal top tube
• Can obstruct your car's registration plate and lights, meaning a separate number and light board is required
• The contact points can damage car paintwork

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. That is the mantra Saris has used with its Bones 2-Bike trunk/boot car bike rack. The design was first introduced in 1996 and hasn't changed all that much since.

It's available in two- and three-bike versions and is made from 100 per cent recyclable materials and everything from the articulating feet to the arms are adjustable to make the rack fit onto just about any car — including those with small spoilers. 

The arm that supports the bikes is curved which provides extra clearance, and the seatpost strap prevents the bikes from wobbling around too much when everything is mounted. Unfortunately, the front wheel is still free to move around, although this is something that even the best car bike racks of this style fail to efficiently address.

Using a series of ratcheting locking cables to secure the rack to your car, the RaceWay rack is easy on paint jobs, and the built-in Fit Dial system makes sure once the rack is mounted, it's not going anywhere. Unlike most of these trunk/boot-style racks, the RaceWay 3 can actually be locked to the car. 

It will hold three bikes using a top-tube mount that Thule calls Road Damping cradles to protect your frame from bumps. The rack also utilises a 'NoSway cages' which prevent the bikes from knocking into one another as you’re cruising down the road. The cages are also fully adjustable for bikes of every size. 

This affordable and foldable bike rack from Decathlon can carry up to three bikes, and is designed to sit high up so as not to get in the way of your registration plate or rear lights. When not in use it folds flat and can be easily stored away until you need it again.

It features adjustable straps for a good fit, and the feet that come into contact with the car are rubberised to protect the paint work. It does come with some padding to protect your bike frames from damage, however we'd also recommend supplementing it with a bit extra to be safe.

Bikes that don't feature a horizontal top tube will need an adapter to hold them in place.

If you're looking for something simple and budget-friendly, the Hollywood F9 Express E3 bike rack could be the ticket. Able to transport up to three bikes at a time, it's super sturdy and capable, as long as you use all six of its straps to achieve adequate grip on a solid area of your car. Without this there's a risk of wobbling.

To keep things as simple as possible, the rack arrives readily assembled, so there's no need to scratch your head with an instruction manual (as many of us are loathe to do), and when it's not in use you can fold it neatly away into the boot for storage.

Rubber tabs keep the car's paintwork protected, while the bike frames are shielded from each other with rubber separators.

How to choose the best bike rack for you

Compatibility with your car

The first, and most important thing to consider when choosing the best bike rack for your needs is to ensure that whatever you buy will be compatible with your car.

To do this, you need to understand how each of the types of bike rack works. Ahead of each section above, we've explained the details of how they function, but a quick run-through is as follows:

Roof-mounted bike racks fit onto the roof bars fitted to your car, which you may need to invest in if you don't have them already. Nearly all cars will allow this, but you'll need to ensure you get ones that are compatible with your car. 

Hitch mounted bike racks need your car to have a tow ball/hitch fitted. If your car doesn't have one, you can get one fitted but this will come at a cost, of course, so first consider whether it's better value than opting for an alternative type of bike rack. 

Trunk/boot mounted bike racks use straps and clips and simply fix to the rear of your car using tension applied to the straps - usually using a ratchet mechanism. These come in different forms that are compatible with saloon and hatchback type cars respectively. 

How many bikes?

The next thing to consider is how many bikes you wish to transport. Of course, the more bikes a bike rack can handle, the more expensive it's likely to be, so while a rack that can carry four bikes might be nice to have just in case, you might be paying for something you never actually use. 

This is most pertinent with trunk or hitch-mounted racks, as they're designed to carry a set amount of bikes and no more. However when it comes to roof-mounted racks, they're usually designed for a single bike, so you can simply buy more at a later date if the family grows. 

Compatibility with your bike(s)

The next thing to consider is whether it will actually fit your bike. The questions here depend on the bike & rack you have in mind. 

With roof-mounted racks, they usually hold one or both wheels in a groove to keep it steady, and wrap a strap around the wheel to hold it in place. If you're using a bike with fat tyres or deep rims, check the width and strap length to ensure it'll fit. Some then fit a brace bar to the down tube of the bike, clamping it in place. If you're using a bike with deep or thick tube shapes, this is an area to check. Others remove a wheel and bolt the bike into place using the axle, so if you're opting for one of these, check the corresponding axle on your bike to ensure the rack comes with the right sort. 

As for hitch racks, the same applies to the groove in which you fit your wheel, so don't forget to check that'll be compatible. 

And with trunk or boot mounted bike racks, these usually suspend your bike from the top tube, so if you're riding a mountain bike with full suspension, or a hybrid bike with a step-through frame, this could make things difficult, as the bike will be suspended at a potentially insecure angle. It's also worth checking the width between the two braces, as if you're trying to transport both adults' and kids' bikes together, then you'll need to strike a balance between wide enough for stability, and narrow enough to fit through the small frame. 

No matter the type of rack, they all have a weight limit, so if you're transporting an e-bike, then be sure to double-check the combined weight of your bikes and ensure it doesn't exceed the limit. 

Other considerations

Finally, if you've reached this point and different types of bike rack are still compatible and available to you, then consider the other non-essential characteristics of each. Ahead of each section above, we've listed pros and cons for each type, which should help you decide, but it's worth weighing up the importance of things like how easy it is to load and unload, access to your trunk/boot, vulnerability to crashing and how they obstruct your visibility whilst driving.